President of East Campus Realty Stepping Down, Successor Promoted from Within

President of East Campus Realty Stepping Down, Successor Promoted from Within

Omaha, Neb. – East Campus Realty, LLC, the Mutual of Omaha subsidiary that owns and operates Midtown Crossing, is on the verge of a leadership change.

Inaugural president Ken Cook will step down on July 1. Joe Schmidt, vice president of operations/finance for East Campus Realty, is being promoted to succeed him.

Schmidt has been a member of Cook’s management team for the past 8 years, providing overall operational and financial direction, overseeing the acquisition and development of retail partners, and developing current and long-range strategic objectives.

“I am very excited to take the hand-off from Ken and continuing our vision and plan for midtown,” Schmidt said. “Great things are happening and we remain committed to continuing and accelerating that progress.”

Prior to joining East Campus Realty, Schmidt served as Mutual of Omaha’s vice president of procurement and before that, held director and manager positions, respectively, at Monster Worldwide and GE Healthcare, where he was promoted into GE’s Six Sigma Black Belt leadership program. A former aviation captain in the United States Army, Schmidt holds an MBA from Marquette University and a BS from the United States Military Academy, West Point.

“Joe has been a key member of our team from the beginning, making him uniquely qualified to carry our success forward. I know Midtown Crossing is in good hands under his leadership,” Cook said.

After stepping down as president on July, 1, Cook will return to Mutual of Omaha’s Law Operation in an “of counsel” position. He plans to formally retire in January 2019.